US Secretary of State urges India, Pakistan to ‘keep lines of communication open, avoid escalation’

WASHINGTON, DC: US Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke to National Security Advisors from India and Pakistan on Tuesday (local time) and urged them to keep lines of communication open and avoid escalation.

In a statement shared on X, the US Department of State stated, “Earlier this afternoon, @SecRubio spoke to the national security advisors from India and Pakistan. He urged both to keep lines of communication open and avoid escalation.”
https://x.com/StateDept/status/1919932306984247448

He spoke to the National Security Advisors of two nations as India conducted missile strikes on multiple sites in Pakistan in response to the terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam on April 22.

Earlier, Rubio said he is closely monitoring the situation between India and Pakistan.

In a statement posted on X, Rubio said, “I am monitoring the situation between India and Pakistan closely. I echo President Trump’s comments earlier today that this hopefully ends quickly and will continue to engage both Indian and Pakistani leadership towards a peaceful resolution.”
https://x.com/SecRubio/status/1919902403999965441

His remarks follow those of US President Donald Trump, who earlier in the day acknowledged the reports of the Indian strikes and expressed hope that tensions would de-escalate swiftly.

“We just heard about it as we were walking through the doors of the Oval. Just heard about it. I guess people knew something was going to happen based on a little bit of the past. They’ve been fighting for a long time. They’ve been fighting for many, many decades. And centuries, actually, if you think about it. I hope it ends very quickly,” Trump said.

The comments come in the wake of Indian strikes under “Operation Sindoor,” which targeted nine terrorist camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir. India’s Ministry of Defence said the action was in direct response to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack.

The ministry stated, “Our actions have been focused, measured and non-escalatory in nature. No Pakistani military facilities have been targeted.”

Indian Armed Forces successfully struck nine terror targets, four in Pakistan, including Bahawalpur, Muridke, and Sialkot, and five in Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK), using special precision munitions in a coordinated operation, sources said.

The operation was jointly carried out by the Indian Army, Navy, and Air Force, with the mobilisation of assets and troops. Prime Minister Narendra Modi was constantly monitoring Operation Sindoor throughout the night, sources confirmed .

The strikes on all nine targets were successful, sources further revealed. The Indian forces selected the locations to target top Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) and Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) leaders involved in sponsoring terrorist activities in India. (ANI)